This invention relates to a method and to means for de-silting water. More particularly, the invention concerns a method for removing silt from flowing as well as static bodies of water, and to means for carrying out the method.
It is known that the effective life span of inland lakes and dams is considerably reduced by the inflow into and settling in such dams of large quantities of silt, i.e. material of an earthy, mainly inorganic nature carried in finely divided form by flowing water and deposited to form fine-grained sediments. Hitherto it has been exceedingly difficult, in fact all but impossible, to prevent the inflow of silt into lakes and dams and the build-up of voluminous silt deposits in such lakes and dams.
It is an object of the invention to provide a method and means for de-silting water so as to provide water of improved purity for domestic, industrial or other use.
It is a further object to provide a method and means for removing silt from the water flowing into inland lakes and dams, and so to prevent or at least decrease the deposition of voluminous quantities of silt in such lakes and dams, and thus to extend the effective life span of such lakes and dams.
Another important object of the invention is to provide a method and means for recovering the silt from silt-containing water for further use, such as for agricultural or horticultural purposes. In the context of silt recovery, it is known that the silt in rivers is of great agricultural value, and it has been estimated that the "fertility" lost annually through silt loss from agricultural lands is equivalent to substantial amounts of fertilizer.